WWALS Watershed Coalition advocates for conservation and stewardship of the Withlacoochee, Willacoochee, Alapaha, Little, Santa Fe, and Suwannee River watersheds in south Georgia and north Florida through education, awareness, environmental monitoring, and citizen activities.

The Swamp is the
headwaters of the Suwannee River, a favorite paddling, birding, and fishing location of
many people from here. The smoke from the 2017 West Mims Okefenokee fire reached
Valdosta. Charlton County thanked Lowndes County for sending assistance.

Unfortunately, in the aftermath of that fire, some miners from Alabama bought up land
southeast of the Swamp. Twin Pines Minerals, LLC, of Birmingham, AL, applied to the
Army Corps of Engineers for a permit to strip mine titanium less than three
miles from the Swamp.

After more than 20,000 public comments, the miners
this March
retracted that application. They filed a new one in April, for slightly smaller acreage. So
far more than 30,000 public comments have been filed, also overwhelmingly against.

Yet the miners persist in wanting titanium dioxide for paint. These same miners are under
a Florida Consent Order along with Chemours for a variety of infractions at four titanium
mines in north Florida. See:
http://wwals.net/issues/titanium-mining/

Any change to the water level or water composition of the Swamp would affect the whole
Swamp, including Stephen C. Foster State Park. That would affect the Suwannee River,
beloved by south Georgia and north Florida.